Social networking systems enable users to interact with various objects represented within the social network. For example, a social networking system allows users to designate other users or entities as connections (or otherwise connect to, or form relationships with, other users or entities), contribute and interact with their connections, post media or commentary, share links to external content, use applications, join groups, list and confirm attendance at events, invite connections, and perform other tasks that facilitate social interaction. External applications also use the services of a social networking system to allow authenticated users to incorporate some of the above social interactions with use of the external applications. Similar interactions may also be a part of the user experience within other network services.
Social networking systems provide controls for limiting how content is shared with other users. For example, users may control content-sharing based on the types of relationships between the users. For example, the system can limit sharing of content associated with a first user (such as text, audio, video, etc.) to only users that are connected to the first user within the social network. As time passes and the first user adds connections, the system makes the shared content available to the added connections.